Sand Lizards swim with the SharksDARDANELLE —Four young Dardanelle swimmers learned that Sand Lizards also like the water. Stephen Brown, Caleb Bailey, Addyson Seay and Andrew Seay completed the season with 44 top 10 finishes and two gold medals. “We are so excited to have this opportunity for our children” Ed Seay, proud parent, said. “We hope that next year more parents in other communities will take advantage of the Sharks’ wonderful swim program.” Seay said swimming with ...

British Soccer Camps score with youthFriday saw the conclusion of the annual British Soccer Camp at Old Post Park. The camps began Monday and throughout the week there were plenty of opportunities for campers to learn and practice soccer fundamentals and sportsmanship, but most of all to have fun. “It’s a fun camp,” said Theresa Magill, the local camp coordinator. “I call it an energizer camp. It gets the kids ready for the Arkansas Valley Soccer Association (ASVA) league play in...

Summer camps conclude at ATUThe boy’s basketball summer camps concluded Friday at Arkansas Tech University’s Tucker Coliseum. Coaches emphasized the camp, which started Wednesday, intended to teach the fundamentals of basketball and to also give the kids a positive influence and output during the summer months. “It’s something good for them to do in the summer,” Wonder Boys assistant coach Chad Kline said. “They come here for three full days and get the fundamentals down...

Local anglers finish day 1 strongDover Youth Fishing Club (DYFC) Bass Mafia teams finished strong after the first day of fishing concluded Thursday on Lake Dardanelle during the 2012 High School Fishing World Finals. Of the 120 teams competing, four Bass Mafia teams finished in the top 20, and two finished the day in the top five. Cody Chessher and Tara Miller, both 17, are currently in second place, after they hauled in five fish for a total weight of 15.04 pounds. “We didn’...

Changing of the AVSA guardThe Arkansas Valley Soccer Association (AVSA) has experienced a changing of the guard after Mark Frost stepped down as director of registration. Frost has been in charge of registration for the past four years, but he has been affiliated with the league for 14 years. In that time he has seen the league grow in numbers substantially. When he took over four years ago, there were 425 players. Last year there were 670. Frost was reluctant to say t...

Hector Pharmacy to play for state title todayThe Hector Pharmacy Teeny A baseball team finished district tournament runner-up recently and has defeated Plummerville, the East End Krushers, Morrilton Aces and the Danville Titans to reach the Arkansas Amateur Baseball Association’s A state tournament game at J.P. Lovelady Park in Dover. Hector Pharmacy will play for the state championship at 7:15 p.m. against either Morrilton or Danville. The AABA AA baseball tournament is being played in ...

Not too hot or crowded for SharksThe Russellville Sharks swim team returns home for its third meet of the season today at M.J. Hickey Pool. Combined, the River Valley Swim League event will host about 300 swimmers ages 6-18 from Russellville, Clarksville, Paris, Ozark, Alma and Waldron. Janna Ritchie and Danya Johnson are co-head coaches this summer for the Sharks, while Erick Oynes is serving as the team’s volunteer coach. Ritchie said Thursday the season has been “awesome.”...

Field of AngelsPOTTSVILLE — It was a typcial Saturday morning. Parents and children from around the Arkansas River Valley gathered at the baseball fields for the final game of the season. Only this was no ordinary game. Players on each team clapped and supported one another every time the ball was hit. The fielding team cheered for the batting team as the children “rounded” the bases. Parents congratulated one another for their children’s accomplishments and...

These Ducks are awfully MightyThe ultimate goal for competitors is to be known as the best at what they do. As the old cliché goes, “to be the best, you have to beat the best.” The Arkansas Mighty Ducks, a U11 travel team based in Russellville, will get that chance in August when they participate in the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Elite World Series. Only 32 teams from across the country in each age group from 9-14 are invited each year to play at th...

Hershey Meet back at Cyclone StadiumOnce again, kids will run, jump and throw for a chance to go to Hershey, Pa. The Hershey Track Meet, in its 18th year in Russellville, will welcome kids ages 9-14 to participate in events such as the standing long jump, the softball throw and a variety of running competitions today with events beginning at 10 a.m. “We’ve been doing this for a long time, so nothing has really changed,” Pam Faulkner said. One barrier many kids face when they try...

Sports briefs (April 25, 2012)Learn to swim this summer The Russellville Recreation and Parks Department will conduct swim lessons with certified Red Cross instructors this summer at M.J. Hickey Pool. The Learn to Swim program will have four sessions beginning on June 11. Each session will be Monday-Thursday for a two-week period. Classes will be from 9:15-9:55a.m., 10-10:40 a.m., 10:45-11:25 a.m., and 6:45-7:25 p.m. Class space is limited. Registration for the lessons beg...

Sports BriefsTech football ‘Link It Up’ golf tournament Saturday DANVILLE — Arkansas Tech University’s annual “Link It Up” 3-man scramble golf tournament will begin with a buffet lunch at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Chamberlyne Country Club. The tournament’s shotgun start will start at 12:30 p.m. The entry fee is $100 per individual or $300 per 3-man team. There will be prizes, giveaways and hole contests. Tournament and hole sponsorships are also available for...

Shoot for a scholarshipFor the past four years, Arkansas Tech University alum and current on-air personality at Power 92 Jams (KIPR 92.3 FM, Little Rock) T-Smooth, host of the Quiet Storm, will again lead the Power 92 Jammers, the state’s top charity basketball team, into Cyclone Gym to face the RussVegas All-Stars. The charity basketball game and silent auction begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and proceeds will benefit the T-Smooth Scholarship Project Foundation (TSPF)...

Sports BriefsOzarks baseball camp Saturday CLARKSVILLE — University of the Ozarks head baseball coach Jimmy Clark will conduct a baseball camp Saturday at Lonnie R. Qualls Field for ages five and up. The camp will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Players need to bring their own equipment. The cost is $35 and the pre-registration deadline is April 5. Those that pre-register will receive a T-shirt. Ozarks assistant coaches and Eagles players will also provide i...

No April Fool’s Day joke — back in the saddle againIn case you were wondering where I’ve been the last few months — most likely you have not, but my dog and cats do care (only when it’s time to eat) — I’ve spent the last few months on the news side putting together the A section (and helping Kevin Hill with the B sections) of your daily newspaper. I haven’t been censored, shot at or thrown into Lake Dardanelle. I guess things went OK. Now, some other folks are handling the production side, and...

Zepeda second at state championshipLITTLE ROCK — Hard work indeed pays off. Russellville resident Cynthia Zepeda, 9, competed at the Arkansas State Gymnastics Championships recently and won the silver medal in the all-around at the competition held at the Stephens Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Zepeda, a level 5 gymnast at Tena’s Gymnastics in Russellville, also finished second on the balance beam and floor exercise, third on the uneven bars ...

Sports Briefs (Friday, March 30, 2012)Preseason Slam Jam in Lamar The Lamar Softball Fields will host a preseason Slam Jam softball tournament today through Sunday. The tournament is for all softball teams in age groups 8-up, 10-up and 12-up, and all games in the tournament will be machine pitch (35 mph for 8-up and 40 mph for 10-up and 12-up) to preserve pitchers arms for the regular season. All teams must provide their own softballs (11-inch) and score keeper, and registration i...